Harry Potter and the Letter of Doom
by shiegurl
Summary: -Complete- This is a response to a fic challenge from a Yahoo Harry Potter FanFiction group. While Harry is grieving, he receives many letters - each dealing with something important to him...or useful. OoTP spoilers.
1. Default Chapter

A/N: This is a response a fic challenge in a yahoo goup. Harry is to receive a letter (read it in private) and, whatever is mentioned in the letter; Harry does something related to the letter by the end of the fic. That's my interpretation of it anyway :) Time frame was from 13 Dec 04 to 02 January 05. 

This is my first Harry Potter Fan Fic and my first creative story in 3 years! I had a lot of fun writing this – despite sitting at the computer all day in 30 degrees Celsius temperatures. It is also the longest thing I have written yet – and that was a challenge in itself! I hope that you enjoy the fic!

I would like to thank Missybewitched for her help – sometimes I just love my vocabulary too much and can't sacrifice one word for another. And, who knew LL2 would help so much? Hee hee I also wish her all the best with her creation that she's nurturing at the moment – I can't wait until the next instalment!

And most importantly: Disclaimer: All characters etc belong to JK Rowling. I thank her so much for creating them.

Fic Rating: PG13

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**Harry Potter and the Letter of Doom.**

Chapter 1 – Birthday Blues

Ron and Hermione lay dead at his feet. Their once lively faces looking up at him with lifeless eyes and pallid, pale skin. His mouth was dry with fear.

"No, it can't end like this", he thought, "not like this. This wasn't how it was supposed to end. This wasn't supposed to happen. They weren't supposed to be here."

A high piercing cackle broke the still air like lightning, causing a shiver to run the length of Harry's spine and making his head feel, once again, like it was being pulled apart at the seams of his scar.

"This is the way it's supposed to end, Harry, and you thought your little friends could protect you? Did that fool, Dumbledore, send them without your knowledge to assist you? Was it his dying wish that they be with you to the very end?"

"Oh, don't look surprised, Potter. As your Professor Snape has already told you, I am an accomplished Legilimens and our…how shall I put it…bond, is now quite pronounced."

Pulling his wand from the inside pocket of his jacket, Harry slowly backed away from the bodies of his two best friends as he scanned the dark environment for Voldemort. Harry panicked, whipping around in every direction, expecting to be attacked at any second.

"Oh, I am no longer here," Voldemort, cackled evilly.

Harry sat up straight in bed. His scar was on fire, his heart was racing, and he noticed unpleasantly that his pyjamas were soaked through with sweat, and were sticking to him. He peeled off his pyjama top, throwing it carelessly onto the floor and stared up at the ceiling.

This was the second night that he had experienced this dream. Now that he had dreamt it a second time, he could deduce what the dream most likely related to—his fears. That of his connection to Voldemort, of Dumbledore dying, and of losing the only two people left that he cared about most in his life. He would turn sixteen in two days time, and be one year closer to being of age. A man. Harry turned on his side to face the wall as his dark thoughts of the past few weeks resurfaced once more.

"I wonder if this birthday will be my last?" he thought miserably.

He still hadn't told his closest friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, about what Dumbledore had said and done. He hadn't told them about how after fighting the Death Eaters, and losing his godfather, Sirius Black, Dumbledore had told him that he was either going to kill Voldemort or be murdered by him. How Dumbledore didn't think him mature or old enough to entrust him with information that could have saved a life and would have stopped him from acting rashly and endangering his friends…

Harry wiped his eyes; he had never been more miserable in his life. He had no one in the world to talk to about the prophecy and share his turbulent thoughts with. How could he tell his friends?

"By the way," he thought darkly, "you know after we got back from the Ministry of Magic? Yeah, well Dumbledore told me that Voldemort has to kill me or I him. There's no way around it. So, Ron, how did you go in Divination? What Owl mark did you get?…"

There was no way he could tell his friends, not yet. He didn't want their pity nor their sympathy. It was bad enough dealing with the loss of Sirius and their "walking on thin ice" routine on that topic. To give them something else to be wary of discussing was not to his liking, especially as they treated him as if he were some delicate child... He just couldn't handle everything in the world at once.

Harry had stayed in the solitude of his room since he had arrived at the Dursleys. He hadn't bothered to shower or dress as often as he should. All he did was lay in a comatose state on his bed, in his Dudley-sized pyjamas.

His room was a perfect reflection of his mood. It was dark with the curtains drawn so tightly together that only a small sliver of light permeated the bleakness. The smell was dank and musty, a mixture of two-week-old owl droppings, the sweaty smell of an almost-sixteen adolescent boy who hasn't washed for at least a week, and there was a strange smell emanating from the pile of food that Aunt Petunia had slid through the cat-flap- that Harry hadn't touched.

His books, unlike last summer, remained untouched and packed haphazardly in his trunk, which had begun to collect dust. Lethargy had set in and he no longer felt that he would get pleasure from reading a single thing. Not even his Chudley Cannons Quidditch book. The only things he had read had been the occasional letters his friends had written him, and they all lay in a crumpled heap on the floor next to his bed. The prophecy hung heavy in his mind and he sometimes found himself thinking that he was living a life devoid of purpose. He was a marked man after all. Nothing but a pawn in Dumbledore's master plan.

Like last year the letters from Hermione and Ron were vague and didn't let on to anything. However, unlike last year, they came less frequently, contained at least a consoling or sympathy laden paragraph, and most recently, contained a paragraph pleading with him to write back to them. Harry hadn't written back, not once, not to anyone. He couldn't put quill to paper – "what's the point?" he had thought every time he had read: Please write back. There was a tap at the window. Harry blinked as the noise brought his thoughts back to the present. He had been lying awake, he estimated, for at least two hours now. His first thought was of confusion, who or what was making that noise? Hedwig had come back the night before and was in her cage looking down at him with her large amber eyes.

She hooted dolefully at him.

The tapping at the window continued, but it had become a chorus of tapping.

Harry slowly arose from his bed, and quietly put on his glasses and grasped his wand. Whatever was making that tapping he wanted it to stop. If it continued for much longer it was going to wake the Dursleys up. He didn't want a row with them on his sixteenth birthday; he didn't have the energy for it. He edged closer to the window and put an eye to one of the small gaps. One large grey owl and five smaller Pigwigeon-look-a-likes sat on his windowsill, feverishly tapping the glass with their beaks. Each one had a scroll or letter attached to its leg.

Harry grabbed his curtains and flung them open so quickly, and with such force, that the owls were given a fright and he was momentarily blinded in the bright early morning sun. The owls all flew up into the air, and once they had recovered, flew through the now open window to land on Harry's desk.

Harry untied each letter from the owls in turn and watched the last owl disappear into the distance. Sitting back in his chair, Harry surveyed the letters. The big owl had left a large envelope with an important looking seal on the back. Harry thought that this letter could contain the results of his OWL examinations. He shifted it to the back of his letters; he wasn't ready to open that letter yet. He quickly looked over the five remaining letters. One looked to be from Hermione, one from Ron, one had an emerald green Hogwarts stamp on it, another a bright orange letter with electric blue writing, and the last a plain piece of parchment tied with a black ribbon.

The bright orange envelope filled Harry with curiosity, so naturally he opened it first.

_Dear Harry,_

_How've you been?  
Ickle Ron has been looking quite worried and has told us that you're not bowing to his written threats to write back, so we're not going to ask you to. It's giving us too much amusement whenever we return home. _

_Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes has been going quite well, business is smashing. As our financial backer we are pleased to award you a very special card enclosed with this letter. It should help you through the last two years of school._

_On a last note, we expect you to receive a surprise quite soon. The packet of powder we have sent you should help you deal with that big git Dursley when the time arrives._

_Well, we must be off, business to attend to._

_Fred Weasley and George Weasley_

A faint shadow of a smile played about Harry's lips as he read the letter, but it vanished as quickly as it had appeared. He took the small packet of powder in his hand and closely examined it. There was a note attached:

_Not strictly magic because doesn't require a wand.  
Just throw some in the air when the time comes.  
You'll be pleased with the results._

_F&G_

Harry then picked up the card. It had the capital letters V, I and W emblazoned across the front of the card in gold against a deep, red background. The back of the card was imprinted with the same colours, and it read:

_This card belongs to Harry Potter.  
A most Very Important Wizard.  
Please present this card at Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes  
To received 50 off  
Any purchase.  
_  
Harry tucked the card away in his pocket, thinking that it just might come in handy. He then turned his attention to the letter from Hogwarts.

_Dear parent or guardian,_

_As it is known throughout the wizarding world 'He Who Must Not Be Named' has returned. Hopefully, we can unite together to overcome this evil once and for all._

_Through much discussion it has been determined that the school year will once again resume on September the 1st. It is up to your discretion to decide whether your child will return to school or not in these troubled times._

_However, we write to assure you that Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is one of the safest places that your child can be while away from home. As it is known the school has many protective spells that not even the most powerful wizards can penetrate. All our teachers are trained in Defence Against the Dark Arts, and a qualified Auror from the Ministry of Magic will be joining the staff this year to take the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor. We assure you that your child will be safe at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry._

_Should you choose not to return your child to school, we are more than happy to accommodate to an alternative education arrangement. Although we regret to inform that subjects for home study will be limited to those in which the emphasis is on theoretical knowledge rather than practical application and instruction. The following subjects will be offered: History of Magic, Ancient Runes, Muggle Studies, and Astronomy. As other subjects rely heavily upon practical application and instruction they cannot be offered to students not attending school._

_Should you require any extra information or have any questions at all regarding your child's education or the return of 'He Who Must Not Be Named', and how this will impact on your child's schooling, please do not hesitate to contact the newly created: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Education Panel._

_If your child will not be returning for the next school year please return the attached form by August 15th._

_Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Education Panel._

After he finished reading the letter, Harry knew that he would be returning to school, regardless of how safe he was within the walls of the Dursley house, or how wretched he felt. He would rather be feeling miserable somewhere else than in the tiny dank room the Dursleys afforded him. At least this time he didn't have to worry about having a permission form signed – his uncle would never in his life sign anything for him.

Harry turned to the mysterious scroll tied with the black ribbon and slipped said ribbon off, and as he unfurled the parchment, he thought he recognised the writing. It was smallish looking and spiky.

_Mr. Potter,_

_It has come to my attention that you have not achieved the required OWL mark to be accepted into my NEWT Potions class. However, after a discussion with the Headmaster, I have been informed that although you have received such a dismal result you will be attending my classes._

_I am not pleased about this arrangement, as all those that are accepted into my class have received an O in their Potions OWL. If you cannot bring yourself up to the standard required I assure you that you will not be part of the class for long._

_I advise you to speak to Miss Hermione Granger about your predicament and that you take to studying Potions over the remaining holidays._

_You will be required to take another Potions exam on the first Monday of your return to school to assess your progress. I expect you at six o'clock sharp in my office._

_Professor S. Snape._

All the remaining blood drained from Harry's face and he felt sick to his stomach. He couldn't believe it. He had thought that if he failed Potions, he would be able live with it. But to have to take Potions anyway, when once he should have been rid of that dark dungeon forever would be even worse. And since Snape hadn't spoken to him after what he had seen in Dumbledore's Pensieve, he was sure that his Professor would be even more unbearable during classes…unless (Harry thought hopefully) he took to ignoring Harry again.

He turned to what he was sure was his OWL results. He was desperate to see what mark he had received in Potions. He unfolded the letter and read the first page.

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_It has come to our attention that during the exam period students at the school did bare witness to some distressful events. Due to this, exam marks have been modified in accordance._

_We also wish to inform you that an application for special consideration was filed with the examination authority. Your situation has been closely investigated and we wish you to know that events that affected you during your examination period have been taken into account. Your marks have therefore been adjusted accordingly with close consultation with your Professors._

_We wish you all the best with your future NEWT examinations._

_Marcella Minovita,_

_Head Witch._

_Ministry of Magic Examination Authority._

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

OWL Examination Results

Harry Potter

Original Grades:

Astronomy - **A**

Care of Magical Creatures - **O **

Charms - **E**

Defence Against the Dark Arts - **O**

Divination - **D**

Herbology **- E**

History of Magic - **P**

Potions- **A**

Transfiguration - **E**

Amended Grades:

Astronomy - **E**

Care of Magical Creatures - **O**

Charms - **O**

Defence Against the Dark Arts - **O**

Divination - **P**

Herbology - **O**

History of Magic - **A**

Potions- **E**

Transfiguration - **O**

Harry let out the breath he had bottled up inside of him as he read the results. He had actually done quite well and could now see why Snape would have been in a temper. If he had been stuck with an A, there was no way that Dumbledore could have made Snape accept him into the NEWT Potions class. Feeling slightly better, he ripped open the letter from Ron.

_Dear Harry, _

_Happy 16th Birthday mate! _

_No present attached, but you'll soon see why._

_I expect I'll be seeing you very soon._

_I've got something to tell you – but I think Hermione has written about it in her letter, so you can find out from her._

_Can't wait to see you. _

_Ron_

As he finished Ron's letter he felt a little puzzled. Downstairs, the doorbell rang. He picked up Hermione's letter. The doorbell seemed to be ringing repeatedly. Smiling to himself, Harry thought it must be the neighbourhood kids playing another prank on the Dursleys. Uncle Vernon's huge feet made angry thumping sounds as he rushed past Harry's bedroom door on his way to try and catch whomever it was disturbing his Sunday morning lie-in.

Just as he was about to open Hermione's letter, there was a scream full of rage bellowing from downstairs. Dropping the letter on the bed, he headed eagerly towards the commotion unable to resist watching Vernon in a rage aimed at someone else.

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In OoTP Harry refers to the Pensieve that Snape is using as 'Dumbledore's Pensieve'. p.467 


	2. The Reception

A/N: Hi there. Just letting you all know that this is a 5 Chapter story. It becomes short on detail because I am assuming that all my readers are familiar with the magical places mentioned. I felt that I just needed to deal with the challenge, and the reader could fill in all the details themselves - though this is related more to the last few chapters.

Thanks for everyone who has commented so far - I really appreciate it! You are making me feel like I should have a go at writing another story - any challenges out there? I don't want to write a novel...so, any quick challenges or situations to write about would be cool :)

**Chapter 2 – The Reception**

Yet another humorous and bizarrely odd scene greeted Harry in the Dursley's house. As he looked down from the second floor landing to the front entranceway scene, he couldn't suppress the brilliant smile that was creeping across his lips.

In the doorway stood Mr. Weasley, decked out in his Muggle best, which consisted of board shorts, socks and sandals, and a Hawaiian shirt today. A tall woman with long blonde hair, whom Harry hadn't seen before, accompanied him. He had a strong suspicion, however, that it was Nymphadora Tonks.

He had stood looking over the banister now for about a minute without anyone noticing his presence. Then the woman he suspected was Tonks turned her head to look at him – an understanding-looking smile appearing on her lips.

"Wotcher, Harry!" she called to him.

Harry meekly waved back at her. As he saw everyone turning to look at him, he become acutely aware that he looked and smelt like a mess. His face had begun to feel very hot. He quickly turned around and headed back into his room to collect his things and get changed, assuming that they would be leaving in less than five minutes for Number 12 Grimmauld Place.

Harry heard a soft knock at his door, and turned around to see the woman with blonde hair enter his room. As the door opened, the shouts that were being issued from the men downstairs were clearly audible.

"Don't you dare point that THING at me," yelled Vernon. "You get out of my house right now," he continued viciously, "or I will call the police."

"Now listen here," Harry heard Mr. Weasley's calm voice, "we…"

Mr. Weasley's reply was cut short as the door to Harry's bedroom closed.

"How are you doing Harry?" Tonks said as she crossed the room and glanced at the letters Harry had received that morning, a concerned expression on her face.

"Fine," Harry mumbled as he turned from her inquisitive gaze. He had just managed to pull his jeans on before she had entered the room, and he was even more embarrassed now (he thought if that was possible) because not only was he still wishing he had cleaned both his room and himself that morning, he now also had the sneaking suspicion that Tonks might have accidentally caught a glimpse of his underwear.

"Quickly then," Tonks said, " let's get your things before your Uncle suffers a heart attack."

Harry quickly grabbed the letters and shoved them into his trunk; he slid the package into his pocket and pulled Hedwig and her cage from the top of his wardrobe. Tonks grabbed Harry's Firebolt and led the way out of Harry's room. As he left, Harry felt as though he had forgotten something, but didn't have time to turn around and check.

The verbal duelling still continued on downstairs at the entranceway. Dudley had finally awoken and was standing where Harry had stood before with a fearful, yet angry look on his face. Aunt Petunia stood behind her husband, trying to calm him down while staring venomously at Mr. Weasley. Harry agreed with Tonks' comment about Mr. Dursley being one angrier outburst away from a heart attack. .

He had decided not to use Fred and George's little gift due to this reason, however as he descended the stairs after Tonks he felt a violent force from behind. It took him by surprise and he fell to the bottom of the stairway, his trunk landing just mere centimetres from his skull. He turned to look up at the second floor to see Dudley grinning at him.

"Ha!" he shouted down at Harry, " you deserved that! Leave my family alone and never come back again! Or else next time you'll suffer worse than a fall down the stairs! I've had enough of you upsetting my dad!"

Tonks helped Harry up and took hold of his trunk. Harry changed his mind about his decision, ripped a corner off the small packet, and threw the whole contents towards Dudley's twisted face.

On impact, the packet softly exploded into glittering dust. As it settled onto the Dursley's clothes it didn't seem to have much of an effect on them. It only seemed to have made Uncle Vernon even angrier, made Aunt Petunia look mortified at the dust scattered everywhere in her spotless entrance, and Dudley still looked like an oversized pig standing on its two hind legs, although, Harry mused, he really looked more like an oversized pig standing on its two hind legs decked out in glitter.

Mr Weasley, Tonks and Harry stood right before the ornately decorated front door, unable to move. Harry felt as though they were transfixed, expecting something to happen. The Dursleys, glaring at them, looked like they were waiting for something too.

Mr Wesley broke the silence. "All right then," he said in his usual calm voice, "we'll be off now."

As he spoke the Dursley's seemed to jiggle to the syllables in his speech.

"Are you all right?" Mr Weasley asked them.

The Dursleys all made another four spasms with their bodies and then stopped moving.

"Hang on…"comprehension dawning on Mr Weasley's face as he turned to Harry, "did you get that powder from Fred and George?"

Harry nodded. A dull pain had started to throb near his right elbow and he wasn't sure why.

"Not to worry then," Mr Weasley said cheerfully as he opened the door and ushered Harry and Tonks out. He turned to the Dursleys as he stepped out the door. "It shouldn't last more than half an hour," he said with a grin, "no lasting damage unless you jiggle into something. You'll find your body moving to the beat, a kind of syncopation. Here, I'll put the wireless on to help pass the time." He gave a little flourish of his wand as he closed the door and Harry could hear the tinny sound from the radio in the sitting room.

"Oh my, look at the time!" Mr Weasley exclaimed as they moved away from the front door, "we had better hurry. Come on now, Harry."

As he walked down the front path, he turned around for one last look. Through the glass panels he could see the distorted shapes of the Dursleys making weird, stunted, jerking movements.


	3. Hyde and Seek

A/N: OoTP spoliers.

Chapter 3 – Hyde and Seek

"Hurry now, Harry we're almost there," said Mr Weasley as they hurried along.

"Almost where?" Harry felt like saying. They had been hurrying along on foot through Little Whinging towards another suburb Dorset Meadows for at least twenty minutes now. He was feeling tired, his stomach had a dull ache and his arm was throbbing almost painfully.

They stepped from the concrete pavement onto a dirt path and headed into a park. It was still quite early in the morning on a Sunday, and not many people were out yet. Harry could see two women jogging on the other side of the park, their golden retriever trotting along beside them. At this sight Harry felt a pang of sadness – albeit strange, this scene had reminded him of his Godfather.

Mr Weasley stopped in the middle of a small playground with trees on one side and a fort on the other. Climbing up to the top of the fort, he scanned the surrounding area in all directions and gave the thumbs-up signal to Tonks who then turned to Harry.

"Now this is highly unorthodox," she said to Harry with a grin, "but in these times we have to take risks in order to stay safe." With that Harry felt the familiar feeling of an egg being cracked open over his head. Tonks handed Harry his broom and told him to get ready. She then proceeded to tie his trunk to her broom, let Hedwig from her cage, and tied the cage to her broom as well. She then disappeared from Harry's view as she performed the Disillusionment charm on herself.

"Are we all set then," Mr Weasley's voice said from somewhere on Harry's left.

"Yes," said Tonks.

"Did you remember to do everything?" Mr Weasley questioned Tonks.

"Yes, Arthur," she said irritably.

"Okay, Harry," Mr Weasley said, "see this light here? (a light appeared) Follow that so you know where to go. But don't worry, we'll know if you stray too far."

With that the light started to rise into the air and Harry kicked off. His Firebolt rose quickly into the air, a surge of happiness and exhilaration at flying again coursing through his veins. The wind whipped through the Gryffindor Seeker's hair, making it even more unkempt as they rose high into the sky.

"Only about twenty minutes more," Harry heard from somewhere up ahead.

He was just concentrating on following that light now as he was beginning to feel dizzy and was finding it increasingly difficult to stay upright on his broom. The light faded from his sight as his broom began to dip towards a park down below.

* * *

" WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU FORGOT TO TIE HIM TO YOU!" Mrs Weasley shrieked at the top of her voice.

"I'm sorry," came a barely audible whisper from Tonks.

Mrs Weasley stormed past into the kitchen followed by Tonks and Mr Weasley, who closed the door behind them.

"What are they arguing about now?" Ron looked up from polishing his Cleansweep.

"I'm not entirely sure," said Hermione, "but I think it could be Harry." She got up from sitting next to Ron and walked over to the door and looked outside.

"Anyway," she said a mischievous grin appearing on her pretty face as she closed and locked the door, "he's going to be back soon so we had better make the most of our time together. When he gets back we're going to have a lot of cheering up to do."

* * *

Harry awoke to the sight of a beetle crawling across his glasses. He picked it up gently, and as he sat up placed it onto a blade of grass next to him. He looked around. The park wasn't as small as he thought it was. There were large trees everywhere, great big sandy paths, and flower gardens. In the distance there were two riders on horses and nearby some squirrels were frolicking about in a garden. Emerald green eyes looked in each direction, but they couldn't spot Tonks or Mr Weasley.

He slowly got to his feet and picked up and examined his Firebolt. It seemed to be in perfect condition – like it had never even been used. Harry wondered how long he had been visible once he noticed that the Disillusionment charm had worn off. If there had been a search party earlier they would have missed him…

In the distance he could see cars and red double decker buses moving along. Supposing that's where a road would be, he started walking towards the traffic with his Firebolt slung over his shoulder, thinking he could find out where he was.

As he approached the road he instantly knew where he was – Hyde Park London. He had been here once with the Dursleys for a Sunday picnic in which he had been ordered to sit in the car for two hours. Although the Dursleys never knew, he had spent those two hours wandering on his own and had just arrived back before they appeared with a sick looking Dudley who had eaten too much for lunch.

Following the main road along for a while, he came to a tube station, Marble Arch. He had decided that he couldn't fly to Grimmauld Place as he didn't really know the way and because his Disillusionment charm had worn off. So he had decided on taking the underground and walking to headquarters, as he was sure he knew the way. His only problem was he didn't have any money for a ticket.

In the subway, he picked up a discarded ticket and hunched towards the tiled walls and tried to transfigure it discreetly so it would read the present date. At least if the ticket machines rejected the metal strip, he could claim that his ticket was faulty because it had the correct date on it. It seemed to work slightly; if you squinted, the numbers formed the correct date. Harry was sure that he could have done a better job of it, but it would have to do for now. The Order was probably panicking with his disappearance and he couldn't risk being seen by any Death Eaters.

As he approached the ticket turnstiles he began to feel nervous. There were two policemen inspecting the tickets, as the machines seemed to have broken down. He decided to go ahead anyway with his plan.

The officer closest to him extended his hand for the ticket as Harry approached. As the policeman looked at it, and then at Harry, a frown started to crease his face. He beckoned the other officer over, whom on instruction, carefully looked Harry up and down.

"Been in a fight 'av yeh?" the second policemen asked Harry as he moved closer.

"No," said Harry quickly.

"Looks like a runaway this one," the policemen said placing a strong muscly hand on Harry's shoulder while turning to the other, "smells funny, and looks dishevelled, malnourished and like he could use some medical attention."

The policeman with Harry's ticket nodded and gave Harry's badly transfigured ticket back to him.

"I'll radio children's services to come and collect him from the station," ticket-returning policemen said as he began to walk off.

"Wait!" Harry said quickly, a plan starting to form in his head, "you're right, I did run away – but I'm on my way home."

Muscly hand looked at him quizzically. "Alright then, we'll take you home first. If that doesn't turn out you're coming back to the station with us."

Harry hoped that someone from the Order would be outside Number 12 Grimmauld Place when he returned.


	4. Silent Rift

Chapter 4 - Silent Rift

Hermione and Ron stared down at the pavement below from the drawing room window. They had been called for dinner once already but they couldn't bring themselves to eat yet. Harry was out there, somewhere, most likely lost, and who knew in what physical condition.

Mr Weasley and Tonks did not have any idea about when Harry had stopped following the light on the back of Mr Weasley's broom. It could have been five minutes after they set off or five minutes before they landed. They couldn't tell if he had fell off of his broom or landed safely. Mr Weasley was walking about in a shocked state and poor Tonks, who had forgotten to attach a magical connection between herself and Harry, hadn't stopped crying as she felt extremely guilty and ashamed of herself. How could a fully trained Auror bungle up such an important mission?

From what they could tell, scouts had been sent to check along the ground underneath the flight path Harry's escort took. Mundungus had been sent to stand watch over the Dursley's home just in case he turned up there. Others were placed at the Leaky Cauldron and in London, someone had been told to ride the Knight Bus until he was found. Ron remarked that he wouldn't have wanted that job.

Hermione snuggled into the comfort of Ron's broad shoulders as she watched the street below. She watched as a police car pulled up outside of Number 11 and two policemen and a dishevelled teenager climbed out from the car. One policeman held a broom.

Hermione almost made Ron deaf with the scream she let rip from her mouth.

"What is it?" Ron shouted at her as he rubbed the pain from his ears.

Hermione didn't reply but ran from the room, her bushy hair flying behind her, shouting for someone to hear that Harry was back.

"So, which house it then?" Muscly hands questioned him, his grip becoming uncomfortably tight on Harry's shoulder.

Harry tried to stall them. He wasn't sure he could tell them the exact address. Would Muggles see the house appear if he told them? "The one over there," Harry pointed vaguely down the street, hoping that someone from the Order would come down the street or would see him from the windows.

"What number?" Muscly hands asked.

Harry was just about to answer when a dark shadow fell across his face.

"May I be of service," a familiar icy voice sneered, "officer?"

Muscly hands turned around from looking at Harry to look at the speaker with the icy cold voice. Harry recognised Snape in an instant. He was wearing a black, well-tailored suit.

Harry broke the silence. "Uh," Harry mumbled looking at his feet, trying to act both ashamed and scared, "Hi, Dad."

Glancing up quickly Harry saw a brief flicker of horror play across Snape's face before it returned to its glacial calmness.

"Ahhhh," Snape said raising an eyebrow, " I see that you've found my son."

"Well, yes," the other officer said, "he tried to use a fraudulent ticket at Marble Arch station."

"We'll let him off with a warning for now," Muscly hands said, handing Snape a warning notice, "but next time he could be issued with a fine."

Snape glanced down at the notice that was now in his hand. "Thank you, officer," he said glaring at Harry, "I'm sure it will never happen again."

"My son will be duly punished of course," he added with a sneer.

As Harry looked at Snape he had the strangest feeling that he wasn't lying.

"We've patched him up for now," Muscly hands said as he released Harry's shoulder, "but we advise you to seek medical attention. It looks like he may have broken his arm."

"I'll be sure to attend to it," Snape said as he gripped Harry's shoulder and spun him around. "You know, teenagers these days, getting into all sorts of trouble," he gave what could be classified as a curt smile.

The policemen nodded, returned to their car and drove off.

Number 12 Grimmauld Place, Headquarters for The Order of the Phoenix, materialised right before Harry's eyes. Snape steered him up the front steps towards the blackened door and knocked on it. As they waited for the door to open Snape opened his mouth and began to whisper in Harry's ear, "you're very lucky I was there, Potter, you…"

Molly Weasley's face appeared, tear-stained but smiling as she pulled the door open. Snape stopped what he was saying and swept past her inside and disappeared along the corridor. Molly walked over to Harry and enveloped him in a large, comforting, motherly hug.

"Come now, dear," she said between sobs, "let's get you inside and get some food into you and fix up those injuries."

She took Harry's Firebolt from him and began to lead him inside. Harry balked at the threshold. He didn't know if he had the strength to go inside. Didn't know if he could face this house without Sirius and with that foul Kreacher lurking in the shadows. How could he be here when his Godfather was not? How could anyone understand how he felt? He considered turning around and running down the street, but the Gryffindor in him helped him take that first step into what he knew would be even more misery than what he had felt over the last few weeks.

Harry sat at the kitchen table spooning vegetable soup slowly into his mouth with his left hand as Mrs Weasley fussed over his right arm. He didn't really feel hungry.

"Oh, I think your arm is broken Harry dear," Mrs Weasley said, "did it happen when you fell off your broom?"

Harry shook his head in a no response.

"How did it happen, dear?" Mrs Weasley pried as Tonks quietly slipped into the room.

"I think he must have broken it when his cousin pushed him down the stairs," Tonks said softly as she sat down at the table.

Mrs Weasley glared at her as she continued to question Harry. " Haven't they been feeding you, dear? I'll let Dumbledore know and he'll have a word with that Aunt of yours."

A dark look appeared on Tonks face. "They've been feeding him," she said looking at Harry with glistening eyes, "he just hasn't been eating."

Mrs Weasley took a sharp intake of breath. "Harry," she said softly and bent down to give Harry another hug, "you poor dear."

Mr Weasley entered the kitchen followed by Snape.

"Professor Snape has told me all about the please–men Harry," Mr Weasley said with a concerned look on his face, "you don't know how sorry I am."

"I'm really sorry too, Harry," Tonks added, her eyes were becoming all red, "I just wasn't thinking. I was so excited about seeing you, and just wanted to get you back here as quick as I could so we could fix you up…I didn't mean for this to happen…."She trailed off and she placed her head in her hands.

Snape made a movement, seemingly uncomfortable in the situation.

"Potter," he said, breaking the awkward silence, "I expect that you will be getting on with studying your Potions. A broken arm is no excuse not to sit the exam when school returns."

Snape turned to leave.

"Severus, honestly" Mrs Weasley said following him out of the kitchen and closing the door behind her.

After having to eat more than he had ever had to in his life, under the closely watchful eye of Mrs Weasley, Harry headed upstairs to the room he shared with Ron. Harry opened the door to the room, looking forward to sinking into the soft covers of his bed and falling asleep. However, he knew that Ron and Hermione, and probably Ginny as well, would be waiting inside to hear all about his ordeal. Harry supposed that he was going to have to fend them off, and was preparing himself to announce that he would tell them all about it tomorrow when he came across a sight he was not expecting to see at this point in his life.

Hermione and Ron jumped apart from their cosy embrace on Ron's bed, startled. Ron looked as if he was sunburnt and Hermione looked slightly flushed. Hermione left her place by Ron's side and walked slowly over to Harry where she held him in a tight hug.

"I'm so glad that you're back," she whispered into his ear. She then left and headed along the corridor to the room she shared with Ginny, leaving an awkward situation in her haste.

Ron was staring at the ceiling, avoiding Harry's shocked expression and the snickering coming from the empty portrait on the wall.

Harry turned the light off, pulled his pyjamas on and dove under the covers. He didn't know what to say to Ron. He was confused. He was pleased that Ron and Hermione had finally discovered their feelings for each other, but at the same time he was feeling lonely and misplaced, with beginning thoughts of being a third wheel in their close friendship dwindling through his mind. He also felt angry with them for not telling him earlier. Once again he felt that his friends, or those people most important to him, wouldn't trust him with sensitive information.

The next day Harry awoke to a mild pressure at the end of his bed. Hermione was sitting there, a thoughtful look on her face as she waited for Harry to wake up.

Harry sat up and put his glasses on, still not sure what to say, so he glanced over at Ron's bed to see if he was awake too. Ron's bed was empty.

Hermione answered Harry's unasked question. "He's gone to Diagon Alley with his mum."

Harry looked at her, and still couldn't think of anything to say, so he tried a feeble smile.

"Is anything wrong, Harry?" Hermione asked as she studied his appearance. Even though she was expecting to see him last night – she had seen him arrive in the police car after all – she was still shocked with his appearance when he had entered the bedroom. Hermione had never seen him looking so woebegone.

"What's with you and Ron?" Harry snapped at her, feeling guilty as the words came from his mouth. He didn't feel like discussing how miserable he was, nor did he felt like talking about Sirius.

Hermione knew that Harry was hurting, so she didn't reprimand him for the tone of voice he used with her. "I thought you knew," she said calmly, "I wrote to you the other day telling you all about Ron and I. We haven't been together that long, only about a week now."

She allowed the information to sink in before she spoke to him again. "Mrs Weasley came to speak to me last night," Hermione said. "She said that you need some extra help in Potions. I'm so glad that Professor Snape has allowed you into his NEWT Potions class."

Harry stared at her. He was expecting a few more details about her relationship with Ron. He supposed though, that Hermione was trying to lessen the shock of his finding out that his two best friends had the hots for each other.

That afternoon the Weasley's, Harry and Hermione made a trip to St Mungo's Hospital to have Harry's arm healed. When they returned to Number 12 Grimmauld Place, they celebrated Harry's (belated) 16th Birthday together. Harry had a great time, although every time he caught a glimpse of his friends he felt slightly lonely in the crowded room.

Over the last remaining weeks of the holidays Harry retreated to Sirius's old room to study Potions. He knew (and he suspected Hermione and Ron did as well) that he was avoiding them. At the moment, he found Buckbeak better company than the two young lovers. If he wasn't walking in on them in compromising positions, he was looking up from his Potions books to gooey-eyed stares. He didn't know how to act around them – them being together was still so new and strange to Harry.

He also found that by avoiding them he didn't have to talk about Sirius, and he wasn't tempted to discuss the Prophecy with them which he supposed was all for the better. He didn't want to rain on their happiness. The Potions study was also keeping his mind focused on a task, and he only thought about Sirius and the Prophecy late at night when he was trying to sleep.

By the end of the holidays Harry had slowly begun to get used to Ron and Hermione being together, although he still found it quite awkward at times. He had always expected that they would be together, especially now that he thought he wouldn't be around to enjoy their company for much longer.


	5. Meeting with the Potions Master

Chapter 5 – Meeting with the Potions Master

The Hogwarts Express departed platform 9 and ¾ with a burst of steam and a clank of wheels. All its ruby red carriages were filled to the brim with excited students, although there was a slight damper to the usual excitement. Some familiar faces were missing and there had been some more bad news in the Daily Prophet recently.

Harry sat in a carriage towards the end of the train with Ginny, Neville and Luna. Neville was nursing Trevor on his knee, his face pale and frightful. Luna was staring out the window, her pale blonde hair hanging in loose tendrils about her face. Ginny was obviously watching Harry, although she was being kind about it by pretending to read a book.

After the lunch cart had been and gone, Hermione and Ron came by for a brief visit. It was shorter than they expected as a bunch of Slytherins ran past their carriage holding a hissing cat in their midst. A first year Hufflepuff girl chased after them, crying something about giving her cat back.

When Ron and Hermione left, Ginny tried several times to try and strike up a conversation with Harry. Harry though was so nervous about the Potions exam that was closing in on him, that the best answer he could give Ginny was a shrug of his shoulders. Ginny rolled her eyes at him and began a conversation with Luna instead. He wondered why he was so nervous, why he even cared about some stupid Potion's exam. If he was going to die, why should he be bothered trying to learn anything at all? However, he knew that deep inside he held onto some hope. If Voldemort were to be defeated, he would have a life after Hogwarts, and Potions could be useful.

It seemed like he had only been on the train for twenty minutes when it pulled up at Hogsmeade Station. Harry, in a nervous daze, somehow managed to make it to school and the welcome feast.

Before he realised it he was standing outside of Professor Snape's office dungeon door. Dinner had gone past in a blur, and once again he hadn't eaten that much.

At precisely six o'clock the door to Snape's office opened of its own accord, and to Harry's surprise he found his feet dragging the rest of his body inside.

With a dull thud the door closed behind him and Snape emerged from the shadows.

"You have two hours, Potter," Snape snarled at him. "I will be watching." Snape gestured to a rickety table and chair in front of his desk, turned over a large hourglass and sat at his large dark wood desk, busying himself with papers.

Harry took in a deep breath as he sat down, trying to calm his nerves as much as possible before he started. He had a quick read of the questions that he would need to answer and felt relieved – he knew that he could answer all of these. The study he had done over the summer had made Potion making that much clearer for him. He had even been able to make some Potions, and was surprised when they all turned out the way that they were supposed to.

Finishing off his last answer, Harry watched as the last of the sand emptied into the bottom of the hourglass.

"Times up," Snape snapped from behind Harry.

Harry, surprised, involuntarily jumped a little out of his chair.

Professor Snape smiled at him as he picked up Harry's examination paper. His eyes flew from side to side, reading everything that Harry had written down in the last two hours. He looked displeased.

"This will be sufficient for now," Snape said coldly, "but I expect improvement."

Snape gave the exam paper back to Harry; it had a super small black spiky 'O' written on it in the top right-hand corner.

"I hope that your potion making skills are up to scratch too, Potter," Snape warned Harry, "I expect the best from my students and don't tolerate sloppiness."

Harry got up to leave and as he reached the door to pull it open, Snape spoke again.

"The Headmaster also wants me to let you know, Potter, that I will be recommencing your Occlumency lessons," he said in a voice barely audible, "I will see you on Tuesdays and Thursdays here at six o'clock"

As Harry closed the Potion Master's door behind him, he hoped that the first week of his sixth year wouldn't be as bad as the first week he suffered through last year. It seemed to him that he was already off to a bad start – Potions exam and more Occlumeny lessons.

**The End.**

A/N: There are a few ways that you can interpret the Prophecy - the way I have represented is one of them. There is a good fic **although rated R **by: CreativeQuill called Trust - it deals with another interpretation. It is a H/G, R/HG, R/T, L/N story! See Chapter 29 for what I am referring to.

Also, I'm really sorry about the length of this fic and the sketchy detail of the chapters - I just wanted to get the story finished and out there. Thanks for reading - I hope the state of my chapters didn't annoy you too much!


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